Maghe Sankranti being observed today

KATHMANDU— Today, Maghe or Makar Sankranti is being observed throughout the country. On the day, people of Hindu communities take holy dips into rivers and ponds, worship at various temples and relish delicacies like ghee, yam, Khichadi and sweets like Chaku and sweets made of sesame and molasses.

As per the astrological chart, this day is called as Makar Sankranti since the sun moves towards the northern hemisphere from this day onwards. On this day, the sun moves from the tropic of Capricorn to tropic of Cancer. Likewise, the days get longer from today onwards.

A large number of devotees throng Devghat, Trishuli, Kaligandaki, Bagmati, Indrawati, Ridi, and other places on the river banks to take a holy bath and perform Shraddha.

Chairman of Nepal Calendar Determination Committee Prof Dr Ram Chandra Gautam said that the time from Shrawan Sankranti to Maghe Sankranti is called Uttarayan since the sun moves towards the north. “This period is considered the best one for holy bath, offerings, religious trips and fasting,” he added.

On this day, a festival is organized at the Tilmadhav Narayan Temple at Taumadhi Tol, Bhaktapur and Puja of Deepakankar Buddha is performed. The Tharu Community observes this festival as the Maghi with much fanfare and gaiety for five consecutive days.

Likewise, the people in the Tarai belt mark this day as the festival of bath known as Nahan. It is also celebrated by the Tharus as Maghi or the New Year with much fanfare.

176 trafficked Nepalis rescued from Indo-Myanmar border

KATHMANDU — At least 176 Nepali men and women, who were being trafficked into Myanmar, have been rescued by Manipur police and activists from different parts of Manipur, a northeastern state of India, in the last two days.

On their second day of rescue operation, the Tengnoupal police have rescued atleast 20 Nepalis including 5 women and 15 men, from a Hotel in Moreh town,Imphal Free Press, an English-language daily published from Manipur has reported.

The Moreh police have rescued as many as 60 nationals of Nepal including 45 women and 15 men.